Deep Blue Sea 2 (2018)

(On Cable TV, December 2018) I gave it a shot. I was not expecting anything special from a Direct-to-Digital sequel to the shark-thriller classic Deep Blue Sea, but I gave it a shot. I was not rewarded by the attempt. Despite a kernel of a good idea—boosting shark intelligence in order to understand how to boost human intelligence as a protection against strong AI—, this is the wrong film for a sustained exploration of smart ideas. Far too often, Deep Blue Sea 2 is content with the lowest common denominator of DTD filmmaking: terrible acting, rote premise, even duller execution. It quickly grows undistinguished, then wearying, then exasperating. You could probably have fun trying to predict the average amount of time until an entire watching party switches their allegiances from the dumb humans to the smarter sharks. I won’t make this review any longer than required to act as a warning: even if you’re expecting something anywhere near the level of the original film … you will be disappointed.